Table 3.

Comparing sequencing technologies.

	Advantages	Disadvantages	Library amplification	Sequencing technology
Illumina Inc.	Large user base platform Low cost per base High coverage (high output)	Short reads	Bridge-PCR on flow cell surface	Reversible terminator sequencing by synthesis
Pacific Biosciences Inc	Very long reads (> 1 kb) Short run time Low reagents cost	High basal error rate Low output	NA	Single-molecule, real-time DNA sequencing by synthesis
Life Technologies Corp.	High coverage Longer reads	Lower output	PCR on FlowChip surface	Polymerase synthesis
Sequencing by Oligo Ligation Detection	Low cost per base Low reagents cost Inherent error correction (two-base encoding)	Short reads Long run time	Emulsion PCR	Sequencing by ligation
Roche Inc.	Longer reads Short run times High coverage	Higher cost per base High reagents cost High error rates in homopolymer repeats	Emulsion PCR on microbeads	Pyrosequencing
Oxford Nanopore	Very long reads Customization	High error rate Difficult to design multiple parallel pores	NA	Nanopore exonuclease sequencing

Basic advantages and disadvantages of different sequencing platforms and the sequencing technology or chemistry they use. NA means not applicable.